Collapsible headgear



USL' 9 i955 w. scHoEN-woLsKl COLLAPSIBLE HEADGEAR origihal Filed March 22, 1952 BY: www @fk/mam COLLAPSIBLE HEADGEAR Wlodzimierz Schoen-Wolski, Chicago, Ill.

Original application March 22, 1952, Serial No. 277,927. Divided and this application .lune 3, 1953, Serial No. 359,334

7 Claims. (Cl. 2--195) out visor, and which may be folded and takes up very little room when folded together.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cover, for the head of the wearer, which may be formed in many different shapes from one basic piece of the material.

It is a further object to provide a covering which is light, yet strong, may be easily folded together in a very small space, and extended to the shape desired.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a head covering which may be readily adjusted to various sizes.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a head covering from one basic piece of material which may be given different forms to suit the fancy of the wearer.

With the above objects in View, the present invention mainly consists of an elongated pleated sheet of pliable material having substantially parallel folds, and gathering means operatively connected to the sheet to hold the folds thereof together at a selected point.

In accordance with the present invention, the gathering means may be slidable on the pleated sheet so as to vary the relative length and size of the pleated portions. The cap portion or the visor portion formed by the respective pleated portions can, therefore, be made into the size desired.

If merely a cap is desired, the cap may be formed by bulging out the pleats in the main portion. If a visor only is desired, the auxiliary pleated portion is spread Y yout with its opposite corners respectively fastened tothe main portion and to the elongated connecting means, the `connecting means forming a loop with the folded main ypleated portion which is adapted to encircle the head, the spread-out auxiliary pleated portion forming the visor.,

The folds at the end of the pleated sheet to which the elongated connecting means is attached may be fastened together by permanent fastening means such as seams, staples, rivets, or the like.

. The gathering means separating the main and auxiliary pleated portions may be either permanent gathering means, 0r removable and slidable fastening means. The complementary fastening means may be removable and may be formed by buttons and matching holes or loops. Other fastening means may also be used, such as snaps, hooks and eyes, and the like.

The material of which the pleated sheet is formed may Abe paper, textile materials, such as linen, nylon, or other synthetic materials, leather, plastics, and the like.

lThe head covering may be made according tothe present invention without the use of any cement. Howatenta Patented Oct. i?, lg

ever, to provide stifening or to obtain special effects, several of the pleats may be cemented together. If desired, covering may be provided with a lining, a waterproof impregnation, a cover of colored material, or water-repellent plastics. If the material is used as a protection against sun, it may be perforated to provide ventilation.

The novel features which are considered as characteristie for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, bothv as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specitic embodiments when read in connection with the acl companying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a top view of the invention when folded together;

Fig. 2 shows the embodiment of the invention of Fig. l as a cap with visor from the top; l

Fig. 3 shows the cap of Fig. 2 from the side;

Fig. 4 shows a top View of the embodiment of Fig. l

as a cap;

Fig. 5 shows the embodiment of Fig. l from the top Y in the form of a fan-shaped shade;

Fig.v6 shows Fig. 5 from the side; and

Fig. 7 shows a front view of the embodiment of Fig. l as a fan. Y

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. l shows a piece of material 5l which is cut into rectangular shape and folded into regular pleats. This material is held together by slidable means such as a rubber band 52. At

' the outer pleats, fastening means 53, 54 and 55 are provided. At one end of the material short loops or ribbons provided with button holes 56 and 57 are provided, one at each of the outer pleats. A short distance from the other end the material is sewn together at 12. The short projecting piece beyond l2 is then split along the line 13 producing two projecting portions 58 and 59.

v One of the two portions, 53, is bent over and fastened to "juisted in size.

acap. It is similar to the embodiment of the invention `end of the material. spread out and fastened with its loop 57 on the button the outer pleats of the material. The other portion, 59, is provided with an elongated loop or button-holed ribbon 6G. lf it is desired to have a cap with a Visor, then the rubber band 52 is placed a certain distance from the The projecting portion is then 54 and with its loop 56 on the button 55, respectively. This button 55 is also connected with the projecting loop 60, which is not further used in this particular form of Vout but folded back and connected with its two loops 56, 57 tothe button 55. This cap can likewise be ad- Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate a shade without shown in Fig.- 2, except that the medium portion formingthe cap is not spread out, and the loop 60 is connected with button 53 rather than with button 55. In this embodiment, the loop 60 is preferably formed of an elongated ribbon having a number of button holes at the far end thereof to cooperate with the button 53. This ribbon will encircle part of the head. By forming a series of button holes therein the size of the cap can be readily adjusted. The cut illustrated in Fig. l may also be formed into a fan. Just as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5, a fan is formed which is connected with the loop 56 to the button 55. The middle portion is then bent over in the vicinity of button 55, the loop 60 is connected with thebutton 53 and the loop 56 connected with button 55.

In this embodiment the rubber ring .52 may be .slipped over the end ai) so that the fan will be stable.

It is very simple to manufacture a head gear according to the present invention out of rectangular or square plastic film, paper, or the like and pleating the same. The pleats may be held together simply and therefore the cover may be made very cheaply so as to be adapted for a single use and then discarded. Alternatively, when made of durable material, it may be easily folded together and be carried in a small space, such as a pocket, by the user so as to be readily available in case of a sudden rain or brilliant sunshine.

Itwill be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of headcovering differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in hats, it is not intended to be limited to the .details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. Y

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention, and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An article of apparel made from an elongated sheet of pliable material having parallel folds, comprising, in combination, an elongated pleated sheet of pliable material, the folds at one end of said sheet being fastened together; gathering means on said sheet intermediate the. ends thereof for holding the folds together so as to provide a main pleated portion between said one end of said sheet and said gathering means and an auxiliary pleated portion at the other end of said sheet, said auxiliary pleated portion being held together at its end adjacent said gathering means and being spread out at its free end in unfolded condition so as to form a visor and said main pleated portion being arranged in arcuate form lying ladjacent to one corner of said auxiliary pleated portion; complementary 'fastening means located at the corners of said auxiliary portion and on opposite sides of said main pleated portion, the fastening means at the lside of said main pleated portionV adjacent to said one corner of `said auxiliary pleated portion being connected 'to the fastening means thereof; and an elongated connecting means attached at one end to said one end of said pleated sheet at which said foldsl Vthereof are fastened together, the

-other end of said connecting means having a fastening portion complementaryto Ysaid fastening means on the opposite comer of said auxiliary pleated portion and'con-V nected thereto so as to form a loop with said arcuate main pleated portion. i

2. A'n article of apparel -made from Van elongated sheet of-pliable material having parallel folds, comprising, in combination, an elongated pleated sheet of pliable material, thefoldsat one end of said sheet being fastened together; gathering means on said sheet intermediate the ends thereof for holding the folds together so as to provide a main pleated portion between said one end of `said sheet and said gathering means and an auxiliary pleated portion at the other end of said sheet, said auxiliary pleated portion being held together at its ends adjacent said gathering means and being spread out at its free end in unfolded condition so as to form a visor and said main pleated portion being arranged in arcuate form lying adjacent to one corner of said auxiliary pleated portion; complementary fastening means located at the corners of said auxiliary portion and on opposite sides of said main pleated portion, the fastening means at the side .of said main pleated portion adjacent to said one corner of said auxiliary pleated portion being connected to the fastening means thereof; and an elongated connecting means attached at one end to said one end of said pleated sheet at which said folds thereof are fastened together, the other end of said connecting means having a plurality of longitudinally spaced fastening portions each complementary to said fastening means on the opposite corner of said auxiliary pleated portion and having one of said spaced fastening portions connected thereto so as to form an adjustable loop with said arcuate main pleated portion.

3. An article of apparel, comprising, in combination, an elongated pleated sheet of pliable material having parallel folds, the folds at one end of said sheet being vfastened together; gathering means on said sheet intermediate the ends thereof for holding the folds together vso as to provide a main pleated portion between said one Aon said main pleated portion adjacent outer folds thereof;

and an elongated connecting means attached at one end to said one end of said pleated sheet at which said folds thereof are fastened together, the other end of said connecting means having a fastening portion complementary to said fastening means on said main pleated portion adapted to be connected thereto.

4. An article of apparel made from an elongated sheet of pliable material having parallel folds, comprising, in combination, an elongated pleated sheet of pliable material, the folds at one end of said sheet being fastened together; an elastic band around said sheet intermediate the ends thereof for holding the folds together so as to provide a main pleated portion between said one end of said sheet and said elastic band and an auxiliary pleated portion at the other end of said sheet, both of said pleated portions being spread out in unfolded condition with the outer folds of said auxiliary pleated portion lying adjacent to the outer folds of said main pleated portion so as to form a visor; complementary fastening `means located Vat the corners of said auxiliary portion and on opposite sides of said main pleated portion con- 'necting the corners of said auxiliary pleated portion to opposite sides'of said main pleated portion; and an elongatedconnecting means attached at one end to said one end of said pleated sheet at which said folds thereof are fastened together, the other end of said connecting means having a ufastening portion complementary to said fasteningneans on said main pleated portion and connected thereto. i

'5. An article of manufacture, comprising, in combination, an elongated pleated sheet of pliable material having parallel folds; two pairs of separable fastening means, each disposed along outer folds of said material and each composed of two parts; a first part of each of said pairs being disposed at respective outer corners of one end of the .elongatedvsheeg and a second Part of each of said pairs of vfastening means being disposed at a position spaced from said outer corners; .gathering means operatively connected to said sheet to hold the folds together at a point substantially intermediatebetween said parts of said pairs A.of fastening. means; means fastened to the other end of said material to hold the folds together in juxtaposed relation; and an elongated band fastened to one corner of said other end of said material, said band being provided with holding means to cooperate with one of said parts of said fastening means.

6. An article of apparel made from an elongated sheet of ,pliable material having parallel folds, comprising, in combination, anelongated pleated sheet of pliable material; two pairs of separable fastening means each disposed along outer folds of said material and each composed of two parts, a first part of each of said pairs being `disposed at respective outer corners of one end of the elongated sheet, and the second part of each of said pairs of fastening means being disposed at a position spaced from said outer corners; gathering means operatively connected to said sheet to hold the folds together at a point substantially intermediate said parts of said pairs of fastening means; means fastened to the other end of said material to hold the folds together in juxtaposed relation; and an elongated band fastened to one corner of said other end of said material, said band being provided with holding means to cooperate with one of said parts of said fastening means, said one end of the sheet being spread out and the corners thereof being folded back and one part of one of said pairs of the fastening means being connected to the other part of the corresponding pair, and the one part of the other pair of said fastening means disposed at the other corner of said spread out end being connected to the holding means of said band.

7. An article of apparel made from an elongated sheet of pliable material having parallel folds, comprising, in combination, an elongated pleated sheet of pliable material, the folds at one end of said sheet being fastened together; gathering means on said sheet intermediate the ends thereof for holding the folds together so as to provide a main pleated portion between said one end of said sheet and said gathering means and an auxiliary pleated portion at the other end of said sheet, said main pleated portion being spread out in dish-shaped forni, and said auxiliary pleated portion being bent back in folded condition so as to lie along said spread out main pleated portion; complementary fastening means located at the free end of said auxiliary portion and on said main pleated portion fastening the free end of said folded auxiliary pleated portion to said main pleated portion so as to hold said folded auxiliary pleated portion in position along said main pleated portion; and an elongated connecting means attached at one end to said one end of said pleated sheet, the other end of said connecting means having a fastening portion complementary to said fastening means on said main pleated portion and connected thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 640,436 Anderson `Tan. 2, 1900 913,937 Baum Mar. 2, 1909 1,743,432 Conklin Ian. 14, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,068 Switzerland May 23, 1889 

